When the 2023 season began, Aston Martin was flying. Fernando Alonso secured plenty of podiums and it looked as though his elusive 33rd win was on the cards. That being said, as the season progressed, the Silverstone-based team started to falter and lose performance. Now, despite rumors of Lawrence Stroll wanting to offload the team for a whopping $800,000,000 price tag, the Canadian mogul has expressed his intention to dethrone Red Bull as per Sky Sports.
From being the 2nd fastest car on the grid, the AMR23 has slipped down to fourth or possibly even fifth, in terms of out-and-out pace. But this downturn in pace isn’t for a lack of trying. The team is committed to building on a strong foundation they have with their current challenger. Naturally, they want to get right to the pinnacle of the sport.
Stats and facts 2023 season
7 podiums in 13 races, Fernando Alonso pic.twitter.com/9gdYJY2r9A
— Aston Martin F1 updates (@startonpole) August 28, 2023
But for Aston Martin to become the benchmark, they would have to get past a very solid adversary in Red Bull. The Bulls have been utterly dominant this season. So far, the Milton-Keynes-based outfit has won every Grand Prix barring the Singapore GP.
Despite rumors of Lawrence Stroll quitting, Aston Martin remain bullish about their ambitions
Stroll Sr. was quoted (by F1maximaal.nl) as telling Sky Sports, “I’m jealous of what they [Red Bull] are doing. They did their job well and I take my hat off to them,” while hinting at his own intentions to emulate their success in F1.
Lawrence Stroll’s declarations might come as a surprise, though. The rumor mill suggests that the Canadian is done with F1. According to reports, Stroll is eager to let the team go into the hands of the Saudi state fund for a price tag of around $800,000,000.
📰: Paddock Insider denies Lawrence Stroll’s $800m Aston Martin sale. Rumors swirl about Saudi fund interest, but Stroll’s team says, ‘Nothing is planned.’ F1’s focus on Andretti’s potential entry stirs grid debate. #F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/aA1ea882Yz
— F1 Naija (@f1_naija) October 7, 2023
Despite these rumors, Stroll emphasizes that the team is bullish about their future. He explained, “Last year’s car was built in a 33-year-old factory, next year’s car comes from our new campus. It is very different there than we are used to. It brings a state- from-the-art factory to a state-of-the-art company.”
Fernando Alonso’s plight down to the FIA’s intervention
The sudden downturn in pace suffered by Alonso and Co. can be traced all the way back to the FIA’s ‘flexi-wing‘ clampdown. Ever since the directive came in to stop teams from exploiting aerodynamic advantages outside the scope of the regulations, Aston Martin have seemed to suffer the most.
However, Fernando Alonso feels there’s a different reason behind his troubles. The two-time champion believes that instead of the FIA, it’s Pirelli who have spoiled their season. The changes to their tire structures following the British GP, affected them more than anyone else.
